June 15, 2009
John Yembrick
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
john.yembrick-1@nasa.gov
Grey Hautaluoma/Ashley Edwards
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-0668/1756
grey.hautaluoma-1@nasa.gov, ashley.edwards-1@nasa.gov
Candrea Thomas/George Diller
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468
candrea.k.thomas@nasa.gov, george.h.diller@nasa.gov
RELEASE: 09-136
NASA SETS NEW LAUNCH DATES FOR SPACE SHUTTLE, LRO AND LCROSS
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA managers have scheduled the next launch
attempt of space shuttle Endeavour's STS-127 mission for 5:40 a.m.
EDT on Wednesday, June 17. The launch will take place at NASA's
Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
As a result, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, and Lunar
Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, are set to lift
off together aboard an Atlas V rocket on Thursday, June 18. There are
three launch opportunities from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in
Florida: 5:12 p.m., 5:22 p.m. and 5:32 p.m.
NASA managers postponed Endeavour's planned June 13 liftoff because of
a leak associated with the gaseous hydrogen venting system outside
the shuttle's external fuel tank. The system is used to carry excess
hydrogen safely away from the launch pad.
The LRO and LCROSS launch was moved to June 18 to accommodate
Endeavour's June 17 liftoff. If Thursday's liftoff of LRO and LCROSS
is postponed 24 hours, the launch times Friday are 6:41 p.m., 6:51
p.m. and 7:01 p.m. Saturday's opportunities are 8:08 p.m., 8:18 p.m.
and 8:28 p.m.
Endeavour's 16-day STS-127 mission to the International Space Station
will feature five spacewalks and complete construction of the Japan
Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory. Astronauts will
attach a platform to the outside of the Japanese module that will
allow experiments to be exposed to space.
LRO is scheduled for a one-year exploration mission at a polar orbit
of about 31 miles, or 50 kilometers, the closest any spacecraft has
orbited the moon. The primary objective of LRO is to conduct
investigations to prepare for future explorations of the moon.
Launching with LRO is LCROSS, a partner mission that will search for
water ice on the moon by sending the spent upper-stage Centaur
rocket, about the size of a sports utility vehicle, to impact part of
a polar crater in permanent shadows. LCROSS will fly into the plume
of dust left by the impact and measure the properties before also
colliding with the lunar surface.
Live updates to the NASA News Twitter feed will be added throughout
the shuttle mission and landing. To access the NASA News Twitter
feed, visit:
http://www.twitter.com/nasa
The STS-127 mission commander, Mark Polansky, has a Twitter account
named Astro_127, and can be followed online at:
http://www.twitter.com/Astro_127
For information about NASA TV streaming video, downlink and schedule
information, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
For information about the space station, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/station
For the latest information about the STS-127 mission and its crew,
visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle
To learn more about the LRO and LCROSS missions, go to the mission
home pages at:
http://www.nasa.gov/LRO
http://www.nasa.gov/LCROSS
-end-